'Baby cockfight' controversy 7:21
Police say a dad encouraged two toddlers to beat each other and caught the fight on tape. "Prime News" reports.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/11/19/pn.toddler.fight.cnn
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Army report shows chemicals at burn pit site
Army report shows chemicals at burn pit site
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Nov 19, 2008 17:42:11 EST
A soldier concerned about his tour at Forward Operating Base Hammer near Balad, Iraq, this year sent Military Times a report showing high levels of particulate matter and low levels of manganese, possibly due to materials destroyed in a burn pit.
“The high risk estimate is due to the average (particulate matter) level being at a concentration the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers ‘hazardous,’ and is likely to affect the health of all troops,” wrote Jeffrey Kirkpatrick, director of health risk assessment for the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine. “Manganese was also detected above its one-year military exposure guidelines.”
It was sent to the command surgeon general’s office for U.S. Central Command.
Particulate matter can lead to coughing, difficulty breathing, decreased lung function, aggravated asthma, chronic bronchitis, irregular heartbeat, nonfatal heart attacks and premature death in people with heart or lung disease, according to the EPA.
Long-term levels of high exposure to manganese can lead to problems in the central nervous system, such as slow visual reaction time, inability to keep the hands steady, and poor eye-hand coordination. It can also lead to feelings of weakness, tremors, a mask-like face and psychological effects. It can also lead to impotence and loss of libido, according to the EPA.
“I just returned from a 15-month deployment from Iraq with 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division to FOB Hammer, and some of us found a document saying that the level of a certain type of metal in the air was above military standards and to expect soldiers to become ill,” wrote the soldier, who asked not to be named for fear of repercussions. “There were burn pits there, and our base was located less than two miles from an Iraqi brick factory.”
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/military_burnpit_chemicals_111908w/
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Nov 19, 2008 17:42:11 EST
A soldier concerned about his tour at Forward Operating Base Hammer near Balad, Iraq, this year sent Military Times a report showing high levels of particulate matter and low levels of manganese, possibly due to materials destroyed in a burn pit.
“The high risk estimate is due to the average (particulate matter) level being at a concentration the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers ‘hazardous,’ and is likely to affect the health of all troops,” wrote Jeffrey Kirkpatrick, director of health risk assessment for the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine. “Manganese was also detected above its one-year military exposure guidelines.”
It was sent to the command surgeon general’s office for U.S. Central Command.
Particulate matter can lead to coughing, difficulty breathing, decreased lung function, aggravated asthma, chronic bronchitis, irregular heartbeat, nonfatal heart attacks and premature death in people with heart or lung disease, according to the EPA.
Long-term levels of high exposure to manganese can lead to problems in the central nervous system, such as slow visual reaction time, inability to keep the hands steady, and poor eye-hand coordination. It can also lead to feelings of weakness, tremors, a mask-like face and psychological effects. It can also lead to impotence and loss of libido, according to the EPA.
“I just returned from a 15-month deployment from Iraq with 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division to FOB Hammer, and some of us found a document saying that the level of a certain type of metal in the air was above military standards and to expect soldiers to become ill,” wrote the soldier, who asked not to be named for fear of repercussions. “There were burn pits there, and our base was located less than two miles from an Iraqi brick factory.”
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/military_burnpit_chemicals_111908w/
Trauma of hate
I've heard a lot of people saying that President Elect Obama is a Muslim, when he is a Christian, that he "is a friend of terrorists" when he is not. What troubles me more than average people thinking these lies are true and repeating them, is where the lies came from. They came from the McCain/Palin campaign and their supporters, but they also came from members of the clergy. When we think of the Sermon of the Mount and the words of Christ, we think of the Beatitudes and miss the rest of what He said. So let's clarify this right now.
All the following quotes come from BibleGateway. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5
When a member of clergy lies, it is one of the biggest sins of all.
Here you read that Jesus put hatred right up there with murder. To hate someone is a sin. To hate someone because of the color of their skin is a sin. God created us in the image of Him and that image of Him is spirit, not flesh and bones. The color of a person's skin comes again from what God created and that was the ability of the body to adapt. No matter what a person's skin color is, they have the same hopes, dreams, gifts, heartache and joys as you do.
How can any Christian say they belong to Christ if they go against everything He stood for? While these hate crimes are not all committed by people who are Christian, too many Christians support what they are doing. Even members of Christ's church! Don't they understand that the Bible is about how we are supposed to treat each other? That is what Christ came to teach us.
We all know what it's like to be hated without cause. We all know what it's like when someone lies about us and when we discover they lied to us. It is a betrayal and it's traumatic. What is even more traumatic is to be attacked or targeted because someone hated you for who you voted for, where you live, the color of your skin or because they believed a lie.
Hope came back into this nation when the majority said finally "the content of their character" mattered more than the color of someone's skin, the very way Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamt of. The others may never learn what it is like to experience that kind of pure heart that sees beyond color. These are miserable people who want to blame others for the ugliness in their own soul and the misery in their own mind instead of noticing exactly why they feel the way they do.
When the truth is told, then it is truth but if you believe in a lie when the truth can easily be found, you are worse than a liar.
All the following quotes come from BibleGateway. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5
The Fulfillment of the Law
17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
When a member of clergy lies, it is one of the biggest sins of all.
Murder
21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.
Here you read that Jesus put hatred right up there with murder. To hate someone is a sin. To hate someone because of the color of their skin is a sin. God created us in the image of Him and that image of Him is spirit, not flesh and bones. The color of a person's skin comes again from what God created and that was the ability of the body to adapt. No matter what a person's skin color is, they have the same hopes, dreams, gifts, heartache and joys as you do.
Love for Enemies
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
How can any Christian say they belong to Christ if they go against everything He stood for? While these hate crimes are not all committed by people who are Christian, too many Christians support what they are doing. Even members of Christ's church! Don't they understand that the Bible is about how we are supposed to treat each other? That is what Christ came to teach us.
We all know what it's like to be hated without cause. We all know what it's like when someone lies about us and when we discover they lied to us. It is a betrayal and it's traumatic. What is even more traumatic is to be attacked or targeted because someone hated you for who you voted for, where you live, the color of your skin or because they believed a lie.
Hope came back into this nation when the majority said finally "the content of their character" mattered more than the color of someone's skin, the very way Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamt of. The others may never learn what it is like to experience that kind of pure heart that sees beyond color. These are miserable people who want to blame others for the ugliness in their own soul and the misery in their own mind instead of noticing exactly why they feel the way they do.
When the truth is told, then it is truth but if you believe in a lie when the truth can easily be found, you are worse than a liar.
Hate crimes surge in US after Obama election: experts
Published: Wednesday November 19, 2008
An interracial couple in Pennsylvania who woke up to find the remains of a burnt cross in their front garden.
A California town which saw cars and garages vandalized with swastikas, racist epithets and slogans such as "Go Back to Africa."
Black effigies hung from nooses in an island community in Maine.
Students chanting "assassinate Obama" on a schoolbus in Idaho.
Barack Obama's historic election as America's first black president has led to a surge of racist incidents across the United States, hate-crime monitoring groups and analysts say.
Mark Potok, director of the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, said the final weeks of the US election campaign and its immediate aftermath had witnessed "hundreds and hundreds" of hate-related incidents.
"Since the closing weeks of the campaign, we've seen a real and significant, white backlash break out and I think it's getting worse," Potok told AFP.
Potok traced the onset of the incidents to around the time of election rallies by Republican vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin where shouts of "Kill Him!" were reportedly heard from sections of the crowd.
"But what we're seeing now is everything from cross burnings, to death threats, to Obama effigies hanging in nooses to ugly racial incidents in schoolyards around the country," Potok said.
click post title for more
Son kills father, then himself over fast food order
Galveston County boy, father he shot both die
By HARVEY RICE Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Nov. 19, 2008, 11:57AM
KEMAH — A teenager and the father he shot before turning the gun on himself after an argument over a fast food order both died after nearly two days in critical care, a hospital spokesman said today.
Robert Lee Mueller Jr., 16, and his father, Robert Lee Mueller, 59, died late Tuesday, Memorial Hermann Hospital spokeswoman Ann Brimberry said.
Brimberry said privacy laws prevented the hospital from releasing the exact time of death or any other information.
Galveston County sheriff's officials were not immediately available for comment.
By HARVEY RICE Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Nov. 19, 2008, 11:57AM
KEMAH — A teenager and the father he shot before turning the gun on himself after an argument over a fast food order both died after nearly two days in critical care, a hospital spokesman said today.
Robert Lee Mueller Jr., 16, and his father, Robert Lee Mueller, 59, died late Tuesday, Memorial Hermann Hospital spokeswoman Ann Brimberry said.
Brimberry said privacy laws prevented the hospital from releasing the exact time of death or any other information.
Galveston County sheriff's officials were not immediately available for comment.
go here for more
Denton TX jailer told inmate he'd go free if he voted for McCain
Denton jailer told inmate he'd go free if he voted for McCain
01:12 PM CST on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
By BRENDA GONZALEZ / The Dallas Morning News
Denton police are discussing possible punishments for a city jailer who told a detainee on Election Day that he would be released if he voted for John McCain.
01:12 PM CST on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
By BRENDA GONZALEZ / The Dallas Morning News
Denton police are discussing possible punishments for a city jailer who told a detainee on Election Day that he would be released if he voted for John McCain.
According to the North Texas Daily, the student newspaper of the University of North Texas, Aruto Ntel, 25, a senior at Texas Woman's University, was pulled over for speeding on his way to vote on Nov. 4. Mr. Ntel was arrested on an outstanding warrant from McKinney for driving without insurance and taken to the Denton County Jail.
While he was in jail, Mr. Ntel told the paper, a jail employee – presumably later identified by authorities as Mr. Saunier – "swung a key in go free in front of my face and said I could go free if I vote for McCain."
He voted for Obama, the student paper reported.
click post title for more
Sources: Obama picks Daschle to head Health and Human Services
Sources: Obama picks Daschle to head HHS
President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former Sen. Tom Daschle to be secretary of Health and Human Services, and the former Senate majority leader has indicated he wants the job, three sources close to the transition told CNN. Daschle -- not White House staffers -- will be writing the health care plan that Obama submits to Congress, sources indicate. full story
President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former Sen. Tom Daschle to be secretary of Health and Human Services, and the former Senate majority leader has indicated he wants the job, three sources close to the transition told CNN. Daschle -- not White House staffers -- will be writing the health care plan that Obama submits to Congress, sources indicate. full story
Soldier sues Army secretary over retirement
Soldier sues Army secretary over retirement
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Nov 19, 2008 14:55:44 EST
A soldier filed a lawsuit against the secretary of the Army on Oct. 31 stating his military retirement case was handled illegally.
Military Times first wrote about Capt. James Wollman’s case in June 2006, after the military found his ankylosing spondylitis was a pre-existing condition, even though it was not diagnosed until after he joined the military and served a combat tour in Iraq, and there was no proof — or reason to believe — the disease had surfaced before he joined.
In fact, a surgeon with the 1st Armored Division wrote a letter to the Physical Evaluation Board stating that she believed several mistakes had been made and that his disease was not a pre-existing condition.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a disease of the immune system that causes severe back problems.
Wollman filed the lawsuit after several years of enduring a labyrinthine review process studded with roadblocks.
The military initially ruled his condition to be pre-existing when he went through the disability retirement process in 2005. The U.S. Army Physical Disability Agency agreed with the findings.
Wollman then took his case to the Army Disability Review Board because he said his disability is service-connected and was also aggravated by his time in the military.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/military_wollman_lawsuit_111908w/
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Nov 19, 2008 14:55:44 EST
A soldier filed a lawsuit against the secretary of the Army on Oct. 31 stating his military retirement case was handled illegally.
Military Times first wrote about Capt. James Wollman’s case in June 2006, after the military found his ankylosing spondylitis was a pre-existing condition, even though it was not diagnosed until after he joined the military and served a combat tour in Iraq, and there was no proof — or reason to believe — the disease had surfaced before he joined.
In fact, a surgeon with the 1st Armored Division wrote a letter to the Physical Evaluation Board stating that she believed several mistakes had been made and that his disease was not a pre-existing condition.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a disease of the immune system that causes severe back problems.
Wollman filed the lawsuit after several years of enduring a labyrinthine review process studded with roadblocks.
The military initially ruled his condition to be pre-existing when he went through the disability retirement process in 2005. The U.S. Army Physical Disability Agency agreed with the findings.
Wollman then took his case to the Army Disability Review Board because he said his disability is service-connected and was also aggravated by his time in the military.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/military_wollman_lawsuit_111908w/
Documentary tells ex-Army sergeant's story of pain
Documentary tells ex-Army sergeant's story of pain
The Associated Press
By CHERYL WITTENAUER
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Retired Army Sgt. Angela Peacock once was outgoing, competitive and athletic. These days, she barely functions, trusts no one and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder that prevents her from working.
She has gained 100 pounds and chain smokes. She lives alone in northern St. Louis County on a military pension and disability.
The story of Peacock's struggle to recover from the trauma of combat and an alleged sexual assault by an officer premieres Wednesday in a new online documentary. "Angie's Story" is the latest webcast in the series "In Their Boots," about the struggles of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and their families.
The series is a project of the Brave New Foundation, a Culver City, Calif.-nonprofit group headed by filmmaker and political activist Robert Greenwald. His films, including "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers," "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" and "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism," are left-leaning.
But "In Their Boots" is apolitical. That was a condition of the grant from the financial backer, the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund, Greenwald said.
"This is not partisan work," he said. "We were approached to take this on because the stories of patriotic men and women returning home and adjusting to physical and mental problems are stories that traditional media have not been covering."
The series has explored such topics as traumatic brain injury, the plight of young military widows and a soldier's suicide from the parents' point of view.
In the 20-minute documentary "Angie's Story," Peacock says she told her platoon leader while deployed in South Korea in 2001 that she'd been raped by a noncommissioned officer.
She recalled her platoon leader saying, "If you tell, they're going to make you look like a whore. They're going to say you were drinking, it's all your fault. You better just keep your mouth shut."
Peacock said she later learned 57 military women had been sexually assaulted in South Korea that year.
click link for more
The need to take care of your spirit cannot be overlooked when trying to heal from trauma. No matter what faith you claim as your own, or if you have no faith at all, it is a very important part of your healing. Reach out for God as you know Him or keep reaching out until you find Him and the peace you need to feel within. If you do not believe in God, then at least try to reconnect to the spirit within you.
The Associated Press
The Defense Department said in a statement it is committed to eliminating sexual assault through a robust prevention and response policy, removing barriers to reporting and ensuring that care is available to victims.
Last year, the military took action against 600 suspected perpetrators. An additional 572 are awaiting action.
By CHERYL WITTENAUER
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Retired Army Sgt. Angela Peacock once was outgoing, competitive and athletic. These days, she barely functions, trusts no one and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder that prevents her from working.
She has gained 100 pounds and chain smokes. She lives alone in northern St. Louis County on a military pension and disability.
The story of Peacock's struggle to recover from the trauma of combat and an alleged sexual assault by an officer premieres Wednesday in a new online documentary. "Angie's Story" is the latest webcast in the series "In Their Boots," about the struggles of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans and their families.
The series is a project of the Brave New Foundation, a Culver City, Calif.-nonprofit group headed by filmmaker and political activist Robert Greenwald. His films, including "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers," "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" and "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism," are left-leaning.
But "In Their Boots" is apolitical. That was a condition of the grant from the financial backer, the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund, Greenwald said.
"This is not partisan work," he said. "We were approached to take this on because the stories of patriotic men and women returning home and adjusting to physical and mental problems are stories that traditional media have not been covering."
The series has explored such topics as traumatic brain injury, the plight of young military widows and a soldier's suicide from the parents' point of view.
In the 20-minute documentary "Angie's Story," Peacock says she told her platoon leader while deployed in South Korea in 2001 that she'd been raped by a noncommissioned officer.
She recalled her platoon leader saying, "If you tell, they're going to make you look like a whore. They're going to say you were drinking, it's all your fault. You better just keep your mouth shut."
Peacock said she later learned 57 military women had been sexually assaulted in South Korea that year.
click link for more
Angela Peacock
Army Sergeant Angela Peacock joined the military in February 1998. She wanted to travel, serve her country and gain some life experience. In 2001, while deployed in South Korea, Angie was raped by a fellow soldier. She was encouraged by her command not to tell, so she held it in, and in 2003 she took it to Iraq with her. She led her unit courageously, but silently struggled until she couldn't stay quiet any longer. Out of Iraq and back at home, Angie decides to take control of her PTSD - a result of both her military sexual trauma and combat stress - and take her life back.
Three short videos of Angela, one with taking care of her spirit with instructor, another with her meditating and another with using crafts.
http://intheirboots.com/RS117.php
The need to take care of your spirit cannot be overlooked when trying to heal from trauma. No matter what faith you claim as your own, or if you have no faith at all, it is a very important part of your healing. Reach out for God as you know Him or keep reaching out until you find Him and the peace you need to feel within. If you do not believe in God, then at least try to reconnect to the spirit within you.
Captain Dale Allen Walker, 3 tours in Vietnam, 2 Purple Hearts, VA makes him wait
Like thousands of veterans, local has trouble with VA
Bullard News - USA
Jim Epperson editor@bullardnews.com
While Riverboat Captain Dale Allen Walker patrolled a river in Vietnam, a mine blew up at a nearby boat. He flew 30 feet in the air, landed on the boat, then rolled into the water.
He was trapped under the vessel, and it was bouncing on top of him. The boat pounded his feet into the thick river mud. Walker was stuck and about to drowned. Then someone in his boat came to his rescue. A helicopter hovered just low enough to board the wounded, and flew Walker to an Army hospital in Vietnam.
"I was in the Navy, and I had to go to an Army hospital," he said, remembering the battle from his home outside of Jacksonville. "I think that is how my records were lost."
This was how he received his second Purple Heart, and how the rest of his life changed. The first time he received a Purple Heart his Assault Support Patrol Boat was pounded by three rocket-propelled grenades.
The Navy later awarded Walker with an Accommodation Medal. On one of his three tours through Vietnam, a boat directly behind him was hit by a rocket. The boat started to sink. While the squad still received small arm fire, Walker reversed course, hooked up a tow line to the sinking boat and beached it.
Walker has experienced what thousands of veterans in the United States have experienced. When it comes to the Department of Veteran Affairs, everything is a slow process.
click link for more
Bullard News - USA
Jim Epperson editor@bullardnews.com
While Riverboat Captain Dale Allen Walker patrolled a river in Vietnam, a mine blew up at a nearby boat. He flew 30 feet in the air, landed on the boat, then rolled into the water.
He was trapped under the vessel, and it was bouncing on top of him. The boat pounded his feet into the thick river mud. Walker was stuck and about to drowned. Then someone in his boat came to his rescue. A helicopter hovered just low enough to board the wounded, and flew Walker to an Army hospital in Vietnam.
"I was in the Navy, and I had to go to an Army hospital," he said, remembering the battle from his home outside of Jacksonville. "I think that is how my records were lost."
This was how he received his second Purple Heart, and how the rest of his life changed. The first time he received a Purple Heart his Assault Support Patrol Boat was pounded by three rocket-propelled grenades.
The Navy later awarded Walker with an Accommodation Medal. On one of his three tours through Vietnam, a boat directly behind him was hit by a rocket. The boat started to sink. While the squad still received small arm fire, Walker reversed course, hooked up a tow line to the sinking boat and beached it.
Walker has experienced what thousands of veterans in the United States have experienced. When it comes to the Department of Veteran Affairs, everything is a slow process.
click link for more
Aurora Bridge fatal leap will be reviewed by police
Aurora Bridge fatal leap will be reviewed by police
Seattle police are investigating the department's handling of a Nov. 3 incident that ended when 48-year-old Derik E. Loso plunged to his death from the Aurora Bridge after hanging from the outside railing for more than two hours.
By Steve Miletich
Seattle Times staff reporter
Seattle police are investigating the department's handling of an incident that ended when a 48-year-old man plunged to his death from the Aurora Bridge after clinging outside the railing for more than two hours.
Police reported that Derik E. Loso jumped from the bridge Nov. 3 while officers sought to negotiate with him. The King County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death a suicide.
But the department is investigating because an officer tried to place a handcuff on Loso's arm moments before he dropped, said Sgt. Sean Whitcomb, a department spokesman.
Whitcomb said the attempt to handcuff Loso and pull him back onto the bridge stemmed from concern that Loso was tiring and could lose his grip.
Two police sources said negotiators usually don't try to rush or grab a suicidal person who is threatening to jump from a high structure because it is risky and could precipitate a jump or accidental fall.
Whitcomb said it was unusual for someone to cling outside of the bridge and that a decision had to be made to try to "save this man's life."
He said officers, who also were joined by firefighters on the bridge, would have waited as long as needed if they believed that was the best course of action.
Whitcomb said investigators are documenting what happened but probably won't be able to determine if Loso chose to jump or fell as the attempt to handcuff him was made.
"I'm not sure we're ever going to know," Whitcomb said.
Detectives in the homicide unit are taking statements from officers who were at the scene to determine what happened.
go here for more
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008408518_aurora19m.html
Seattle police are investigating the department's handling of a Nov. 3 incident that ended when 48-year-old Derik E. Loso plunged to his death from the Aurora Bridge after hanging from the outside railing for more than two hours.
By Steve Miletich
Seattle Times staff reporter
Seattle police are investigating the department's handling of an incident that ended when a 48-year-old man plunged to his death from the Aurora Bridge after clinging outside the railing for more than two hours.
Police reported that Derik E. Loso jumped from the bridge Nov. 3 while officers sought to negotiate with him. The King County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death a suicide.
But the department is investigating because an officer tried to place a handcuff on Loso's arm moments before he dropped, said Sgt. Sean Whitcomb, a department spokesman.
Whitcomb said the attempt to handcuff Loso and pull him back onto the bridge stemmed from concern that Loso was tiring and could lose his grip.
Two police sources said negotiators usually don't try to rush or grab a suicidal person who is threatening to jump from a high structure because it is risky and could precipitate a jump or accidental fall.
Whitcomb said it was unusual for someone to cling outside of the bridge and that a decision had to be made to try to "save this man's life."
He said officers, who also were joined by firefighters on the bridge, would have waited as long as needed if they believed that was the best course of action.
Whitcomb said investigators are documenting what happened but probably won't be able to determine if Loso chose to jump or fell as the attempt to handcuff him was made.
"I'm not sure we're ever going to know," Whitcomb said.
Detectives in the homicide unit are taking statements from officers who were at the scene to determine what happened.
Matthew Loso said his brother, who was married with a young son, had displayed suicidal tendencies for at least two weeks before his death.
He said his brother mailed money to others to pay debts and "disappeared from our radar."
His brother also was experiencing marital difficulties and wondering whether his job as a floor director at KIRO television was a "dead-end job," Matthew Loso said.
go here for more
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008408518_aurora19m.html
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